Work

 

Ms. Chun Xia Guo is from a small village surrounded by mountains. Most of the inhabitants are famers who profit from the mild climate and rich soil. A lot of farmers face difficulties in the process of changing from the traditional “work by hand” farming to modern chemical based farming. That is why Ms. Guo joined the Pesticide Eco-Alternative Center in 2004. Starting as a volunteer, she is now a full time staff member working to raise awareness of improper chemical use. PEAC carries out a number of projects which aim at the reduction of pesticide use. One way is to find organic alternatives which are safe, sustainable, and cheaper for the farmers. Ms. Chun Xia Guo focuses on young people in her training sessions because she sees them as an investment in the future. One of her main motivations for her work is rooted in her own childhood. “Whenever I think about the question of what I live for, the face of my sun burnt mother comes to my mind. She is just one of the millions of Chinese women farmers, but I can read hope from in her heart, from her eyes, that traditional farming should be improved. I believe this is also the hope of all farmers. Consequently, I made my resolution to help this dream come true.”

Sending Organization

 

Pesticide Eco-Alternatives Centre (PEAC) is an organization based in the Yunnan Province of China. Their goal is to preserve natural diversity such as regional varieties of rice and to make people aware of the environmental effects of agro-chemicals. In order to achieve this goal they have several projects to teach local farmers about alternative agricultural methods. Currently PEAC is working with the United Nations on a project to gather information on household chemicals. In order to effectively publicise the results of their research and work, PEAC maintains a Chinese as well as an English website.